Aerial device.



L. RUPPIN. AERIAL DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 190a.

Patented July13,1909.

INVENTOR Ludung Ru in BY A/ZZ M ATTO 5] km S S m n w LUDWIG RUPPIN, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

AERIAL DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1909.

. Application filed February 1, 1908. Sefial No. 413,770.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUDWIG RUPPIN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lancaster, iu the county of Lan caster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerial Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aerial devices and particularly to devices of this general character adapted for use as toys or for advertising purposes.

The invention operates upon some of the principles of kites and aeroplanes, and con sists in various features of construction subserving simplicity, certainty of flight, and control of direction and distance of flight, the necessary propulsive force being provided by dropping the device from a height, whereupon downward movement, because of the general design of the machine, will change the pure vertical movement thereof into a compound vertical and horizontalmovement.

My invention consists of the elements, combinations, and arrangements of parts, all as hereinafter fully set forth, and succinctly defined in the annexed claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have illustrated a merely preferred form of embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of embodiment thereof; Fig. 2 is an edge view, looking in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 1 at the line 33; Fig. 3 is a section on the line w-m of Fig. 1; Fig. 1 is a perspective of a modification; Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views similar to Fig. 3, of further modifications; and Fig. 7 1s a modification showing the simplest form of the device in perspective.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates the generally flat body of the device, preferably made, in the toy embodiment shown, of paper or thin light metal, such as aluminum, and providing outer end portions or wings 2 and 3. Intermediate said wings the body is preferably formed with means for insuring horizontal movement of the device in a straight line and maintaining the equilibrium thereof. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 such means are exemplified by parallel corrugations 4 in the medial portion of the body, beneath and against the sides of which the air surges in the flight of the device, bringing about the aeroplane effect, and maintaining its equilibrium, and at the same time having a directional effect as stated. In Fig. 1 the same result is brought about by forming the body with a corrugation 5 at its front end, whose walls converge, and the common line of whose walls angles downwardly from front to rear of the machine; and corrugations 6 and 7 on each side of the corrugation 5, whose walls angle and converge respectively in a direction opposite from that of corrugation 5. Consequently, the air enters beneath corrugation 5 to produce the aeroplane effect, and thence beneath corrugations 6 and 7 for the directional effect. The arrangement of these corrugations in respect to front and rear may be reversed with the same result. By reason, also, of the inclination of the medianlines and the walls of said corrugations G and 7, another effect is pro duced, to be hereinafter referred to.

Toward the front end of the device, and extending lon itudinally thereof, is a rod 8, which serves t se purpose of a strengthening rib and is the approximate locus of the center of gravity, considering the front and rear of the device. To counterbalance the device, another rod 9, is fixed thereto, preferably to the rod 8, and extends beyond the front end of the device to such an extent as may be necessary or desirable to provide the horizontal adjustment of the device as a whole when in flight. Such counterbalancing rod may be fixed, as in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and at, or the rod, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, may be provided with a weight 10 adjustable toward and from the front end of the device.

At the rear end of the device, I provide means for controlling the assumption, by the machine of the horizontal position in flight, comprising in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, rudder blades, so called, attached at or near the ends of the corrugated portion of the device. Ac-

cording to the angle of the inclination of these blades relatively to the body of the device, the rapidity with which it reaches the horizontal position in flight will be affected, in conjunction, of course, with the adjustment of the counterbalance at the opposite side of the device.

In Fig. 5 I haveshown the angle of inclination of the rudder blades as controllable, providing a hinged connect-ion llof :said rudders with th body, and. a link; eon:

neetien l2 hetweensaid rudders and a lon and" manually pertormed si'in the, term hown in Fla 55hr, Fig, 6, th adjust= "meat ef-theeeuhterbalanee alehe need he.

made, the red tsel being free to mere leh= 'g'itudlhally, and hence permitting ree self;

j elit of the rudders: In the fo th at F g- Particu arly gre t sensi vehess re: s i e g ad l self-adjustmen of th machine to the horizontal, because of the in; timate relations between the automatic rud: der' regulation and the regulation (to a de:

gree also automatic) of the counterbalance,

I In the embodiment of Fig. 4 the efiect of the rudders shown in the other figures is ac= complished by the corrugations 6 and 7, because .of the angling and convergence of their walls with respect to each other and the corrugation 5, as heretofore described. It will be apparent that besides the regulation accomplished by the adjustment of inclination of the rudders, much may be effected by changes in the relative area of said rudders; also that the effects of the rudders and the counterbalance on the flight of the device are-interdependent reciprocally coacting in the form' of Fig. '6, and that by reasonof the construction shown in said figure, the adjustments are never fixed, and consequently the flight of the device through the air willnot be in the line of a constant inclined lane, as in the other forms, b'ut motion will be undulatory, in keeping with the varying automatic adjustments and readjustments.

' The action of the so-called rudder blades and the corrugations shown in Fig. 4 is identical as far as the maintenance of horizontal equilibrium is concerned; the blades beingin effect when set at an angle as described reverse or depressing aeroplanes, and the rear corrugationor corrugations as the case may be being also in effect depressing aeroplanes, the effect in either case being (by their depressing action when the machine'is in flight) to raise the counterbalance rod or weight to a horizontal position by using the supporting (or resisting) power of the air, at the approximate center of gravity ofthe device, as the fulcrum of the lever thus formed. The action of all the corrugations described is also twofold, first for the keeping of a direct line of flight, and

second formaintaining transverse equilibrium. For keeping the direct line of flight'the efiect is that of their traveling in a resisting body of air on both sides of the its correct corrugations-1 For m intaining trans,versev s h ld at abeut a feet above the height of the operators ead exten ing thea ms upward, th devise being held with the e 'unte halauee end down," Upen releas ng t device it fal s ab u three te four. feet he ud er blades. ac ing to keep the fall from being p p ndicular and the d vice grad y during fall tends te ppreaeh a horizontal noe'itien. The momentum uired-by than above referred to is Slll-fi cient to drive it forward for some distance,

and the pressure or resistance of the air against the rudder blades, or rear corrugations, as the case may be, depresses the rear end of the device, and tends to present the body of the device at a more or less correct aeroplane angle to the air. The necessary aeroplane efi'ect thus acquired, and the acquired momentum, in connection with said aeroplane angle, are sufficient to support it for a time in the air. When the said momentum is, expended or exhausted, the tend ency of the device is to again dip downward; and if the device is allowed to fall from a greater height than mentioned above, a series of such motions ensues until-the device reaches the ground.

A striking feature of the device is that if launched upside down in either a perpendicular or a horizontal position it will turn to position before assuming its so called fligh The functions of the counterbalancing rod orweight may be further explained as fol: lows: If said rod or weight be removed, the device, on being n hed is th described, tends to sway backward and for: Ward in the all, 9% else t9 J- YQWQ its longitudinal center (the axis 9f QQYQJQ: tion being an imaginary line near the center of the device, said line parallel with the rear d treat ed {in heth eases gradually k g e th enn t Urea the red Weight being pplied the rewiringmotion is stepped, and "also the backward swaying and both the tendencies are con: verted into a forward motion, substantially as above described. The counterbalancingrod or weight also has a further functional effect, because in the lever action hereinbe-- fore referred to it forces the corrugation against the air, thus aiding the corrugations in their directional efiect.

The operation of the device is thought to be clear from the foregoin The device is allowed to fall from a height, counterbalance end down. The force of the air against the rudders throws the device gradually into a. position approaching the horizontal with relation to its center of gravity, instead of the vertical position with which the'fiight begins. The extent of the horizontal movement resulting from a given vertical fall may 'becontrolled by the area and inclination Iof rudders andadjustment of the counterbalance. The counterbalancing rod 9 may b bent back under its main body at -an=-; angle as indicated by the dotted lines B,

Fig. 3, with substantially the same result as when rod 9 is straight.

The device may be caused to turn in any desired direction during flight by bending the tip of either wing at a slight angle, as

of course be vice versa.

illustrated by the dotted lines A, A, Figs. 1, 2 andet. When bent as illustrated, the device will turn durin flight toward that side. If the other wing is ent, the direction would may be attained by rudders hinged at an angle to the wing tips, as indicated by the dotted lines A, A, aforesaid, but not parallel to the line 3, 3, Fig. 1. The desired inclination of these wing rudders may be controlled by the mechanism shown in Fig. 5 for controlling the rear rudders, the area, and inclination of said wing rudders when raised, and the angle at whlch they are set to the line 3.3 Fig. 1 determining and effecting the rapidity and angle of the deflection from the original line of flight; the rudder when raised acting as a drag upon that side of the device upon which it is situated, the angle to the longitudinal center at which the rudder blades are set, also determining and affecting the angle and rapidity of the deflection. \Vhen not in use the rudders lie flat, so the surface is even.

It is to be understood that, I do not limit myself herein to the toy embodiment of the invention here shown; but that I contemplate any embodiment of the principles of the invention falling within the appended claims; also that materials, sizes and rela- The same object' tions are unessential, except as they may be necessary to the operativeness of the devices claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In an aerial device of the character described, a medially transversely corrugated body member acting as an aeroplane, a counterbalancing weight at one side of the center of gravity thereof, and a rudder blade at the other side of said center.

2. In an aerial device of the character described, an aeroplane member, a counterbalance, and a-rudder, said counterbalance and rudder being connected and automatically adjustable.

3. In an aerial device of the character described, an aeroplane member having at one end a corrugation whose walls converge, and the common line of whose walls angles downwardly from one end to the other of the device; and a corrugation on each side of said first-named corrugation, whose walls angle and converge respectively in a direction opposite to that of said first-named corrugation.

4. In an aerial device of the character described, an aeroplane member having at one end a corrugation whose walls converge, and

the common line of whose walls angles downwardly from one end to the other of the device; a corrugation on each side of said first-named corrugation, whose walls angle and converge res ectively in a direction opposite to that 0 said first-named corrugation, and a wei ht at one side of the center of gravity of said body member.

5. In an aerial device of the character described, an aeroplane member, a longitudinally movable rod thereon, and a counterbal- LUDWIG RUPP N.

lVitnesses:

LEON K. PAXSON, CHAS. E. Lone. 

